Mörderische Insel

Shetland Sailing Mysteries #2

by Marsali Taylor

Tödlicher Segeltörn

Zwei Luxusboote legen im Hafen von Brae auf den Shetland-Inseln an. Cass Lynch, leidenschaftliche Seglerin und Hobby-Ermittlerin, kann es sich nicht verkneifen, dem seltsamen Treiben der Besitzer dieser Schiffe nachzuspüren. Sie ahnt nicht, in welche Gefahr sie sich begibt. Da wird einer ihrer begabtesten Segelschüler tot aufgefunden. Ein Unfall war das wohl nicht. Doch zum Glück greift Detective Inspector Gavin Macrae aus dem schottischen Hochland ein.

Genres: Mystery, Scotland, Fiction, Crime, Contemporary

383 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2014

About the author

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.

Reviews

[P.J. O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the Trowie Mound Murders as much as Death on a Longship, the first in the Shetland mystery series. It's a nicely done narrative, and the characters and setting that I liked in the first book are present in this one. There are nice twists in the mystery to keep one speculating about possible villains, as well as the obligatory unnecessary risks taken by the protagonist that all mysteries seem compelled to have. But I suppose if everyone acted wisely and logically all the time, particularly in fiction, it would be a very dull world indeed.

It's not necessary to have read Death on a Longship, the first in the Cass Lynch series to follow the plot of this one (the second). You get enough background in context to understand the relationships, but will likely have a better appreciation of subtleties if you do read them in order. There seems to be a romance budding up slowly, but not mutually acknowledged yet. I prefer that to sudden attractions and the plot disruptions to accommodate them, so was very happy with the restraint and even-handling. If Cass went silly for Gavin, the police inspector up from the Highlands, so soon after the events of the first book, I'd think she was an implausible ninny at best and a cardboard character at worst. But I do like Gavin very much, and am quite fine with a feeling of friendship, affection, love, whatever growing between them over time in the series if they wish. And if she doesn't like him after time in the series, I'll be tempted to call her a ninny anyway. (I do wonder about his kilt even so. Granted, I've spent only the briefest time in the Highlands recently and never encountered a policeman that I recall. But the only times I saw Highlanders wearing kilts were in tourist-guiding roles and at a formal event that I attended. Perhaps they'll come back to everyday fashion; they do seem to improve the appearance of every man, lending an air of quiet strength, a timeless poetic bent, a jolly bit of whimsy, and a smoothing over of natural physical imperfections. They seem to appear now mainly on schoolgirls or in romances and erotic fantasies, so I suppose the average man has abandoned them as a wardrobe staple for those reasons. And they're likely too hot in the summer and too cold in winter. But I digress...)

I was absorbed enough in the Trowie Mound world to feel a loss at a particular unexpected death, though the rescue of a kitty or two helped a little. And if a baby cat and a full-grown pet rat could have a strong friendship in the small confines of a boat, surely there's hope for the world. All in all, a good book and recommended for all those who like a mystery with believable likeable characters. I've already bought the next in the series A Handful of Ash, but will use it as an incentive and a reward for finishing other books and tasks waiting for me.

[Tonyia Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this Shetland author by following an instagram link from Hazel Tindal, one of my favorite knit designers. This is the second book in the series, and I'm enjoying them very much.

A strong independent sailboat skipper, the heroine lives on her boat. There's loads of Shetland history and the characters are well fleshed out. It's fun to decipher the Shetland speech - she uses some actual language, but it's not hard to decipher in context of the conversation. (and there's a dictionary in the back of the book if you come across words you just can't figure out).

Of course, ordinary people don't really run into this many dead people, but that's what murder mysteries are all about.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine got me into this series after we both enjoyed the Shetland TV series, and I am really enjoying these. Cass is a compelling heroine, and I love the secondary characters, like Anders and Gavin, as well. The additional characters that make up the close-knit community are colorful and intriguing. Add to that the wonderful sailing descriptions and the lovely cadence of Taylor's writing, and I'm hooked. And that's before we even get to the mysteries, which are well-plotted and twisty, and have kept me guessing.

Can't wait to sink in to the next installment!

[Dominique Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This episode was much better than the first one, as the first story seemed to have everything thrown at it to the point of being unbelievable. This time I got more into the characters. The descriptions are long, detailed and accurate about precise Shetland locations, the character development is good, the presentation of the crimes less so - at the end I still couldn't work out who had done what, and why. But hey, it was good enough to make me buy the next book in the series because it's quirky and it's about Shetland and sailing, and I was sailing there as I read it... And yes, Cass, of course those sailors had heard of Frankie's Fish and Chip shop at Brae, four Swedes off the next boat to us in Scallaway announced their intention to set off round to Brae solely for the best fish and chips in Shetland. I was most disappointed when the wind changed and we never got there ourselves. We did tell the Dutch couple who announced they were intending to 'circumcise' Britain that they needed to go there. Does Frankie's do free fish suppers to all these people kindly advertising them to all and sundry? I hear they do gluten-free too...

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doubling back now to catch ones I have missed in this series. This is the second, and in it we meet Cat for the first time. (Warning: this book contains a cat murder, two kitten deaths and an attempted cat murder!) Enjoying this series very much: I find the technicalities of sailing lightly imparted, and I like the way different Shetland customs and events are woven into the stories (some of the folklore, the language, and in this one a day at the local show). Cass's friendship with the Highland detective deepens, as does her friendship with Norwegian Anders, although she is well and truly warned off by his mother!
One or two printing oddities in this one, but on the whole it's nicely presented.

[margaret chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mound of mayhem.

Second in this series set in Shetland. Cass, the detective heroine lives on her own boat with a gorgeous Viking hunk and his pet rat. No, there's no romance. The girl is daft. What a waste. However she is good at solving mysteries as well as sailing. Plus she has a policeman in a kilt as a backup love interest. She is spoiled. This story is about stolen art, two pairs of visitors in expensive boats, locals who commute from England, disappearing boats and their owners. Murder. There is a lot of sailing detail. I am not a sailor but I don't mind. There are also wonderful descriptions of Shetland and exciting pulse raising action. Recommended.

[Olga Hammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. This is the third one I have read and every time I get to know the characters and the setting better and I can't wait to read the next. They so very clearly portray life on Shetland as I know it, and I can identify so well with Cass, the main sleuth, and her style of life. In this one the baddies get their comeuppance which is very satisfying though one of the murders is heart breaking. I like the use of Shetland dialect and the authentic feeling of the islands. Roll on the next one!

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book which I have read in this cosy crime series. This is the second book in this series (eleven books so far) and was originally published as "The Trowie Mound Murders". I like the main character of Cass Lynch and I like the references to life in the islands so I find the books charming. There is a mystery, people get murdered and Cass is in danger on several occasions but this is a gentle read where Cass spends much of her time teaching children to sail. I am now looking for the other five books which I have not yet read.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The marina at Brae experiences an influx of craft - two motor boats and a fancy yacht arrive. When the owners of the yacht disappear and then the yacht quietly leaves the harbour at night, Cass decides to give Inspector Macrae a ring. Rumour has it that a ring of art thieves are using the islands as a handover point, trading the art pieces for drugs. Then lights are seen and strange noises heard from the direction of an ancient burial mound. The sense of place on the Shetland isles with the intonations of the local dialect, made this complex crime novel a pleasure to read.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marsali Taylor hat es wunderbar geschafft, die Atmosphäre auf den Shetlands einzufangen. Ihre Beschreibungen der Menschen und des Lebens dort haben mir sehr gut gefallen.

Mit dem Fall habe ich mich schwerer getan. Anfangs war alles klar für mich. Aber je weiter ich im Buch gekommen bin, desto verworrener wurde er. Es gab keine wirklichen Ermittlungen. Cass sind Dinge aufgefallen, die sie verfolgt hat, ohne dass sich die Zusammenhänge erschlossen haben. Das hat es für mich erst zum Schluss, aber da hatte ich schon den Faden verloren.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verbiage?

Reading this can be a bit overcomplicated. I frequently found myself skipping paragraphs because there was too much information. The underlying narrative could become overwhelmed with words. The storyline is good as it was in the first book of the series. And the central characters are well defined. Let's see what book three brings?

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loving this series and each one seems better. Still charmed by the main characters and the Shetland idiom and background, the descriptive writing is not overdone and is evocative of my own Shetland experience. I admire Cass’s independence and am in awe of her sailing expertise, Gavin is growing on me!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second Shetland Sailing mystery. I loved the descriptions of the setting and long to see the island as I did in the Ann Cleeves Shetland series. The characters are interesting and well drawn, but the mystery was a bit too cozy for me—just not very thrilling. And I grew so tired of the detailed ship lore. I’m not a sailor and could care less about how it all works.

[MS MARION BARLOW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living on Shetland

It is nice to have real places described from a Shetlanders view with everyday living, plus local history together with wildlife. This series is getting more interesting with the interaction of characters.

[Kath Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sailing

This one was a s!is starter. You knew from the write up that there had been murders but they were a long time happening.

[Groucho42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of bigger boats come to town, mention of thefts back in Scotland and England, then deaths. Typical mystery told well with a continued view of a different world, the Shetland islands.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge. Armchair traveler: Read a book set in a destination you want to visit.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I do love the Shetlands

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really engaging.
NOTE we listened to this on Audible but that edition is not listed on Goodreads and it won't offer me the option to create a new edition!

[Kathleen Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book about a woman who solo sails is a 5 star read for me :) I love the setting and the main characters, and of course, the sailing :)

[R L · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Shetlander, I didn't like it much but each to their own..not awful but not good.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story more than the first book. Revisiting many of the same characters.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good detective fiction, with lovely atmospheric details and descriptions of the locations, and appealing characters. Planning to read more of this series!

[Dahlian Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the whole series- learned to like the characters.

[wendy geen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

I have really enjoyed this series of books and the characters are credible and developing. I look forward to the next one.

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nach dem Trubel um den Mord auf einem Filmschiff ist bei Cass Lynch, der passionierten Seglerin von den Shetland-Inseln, wieder etwas Ruhe eingekehrt. Sie genießt es, in Ruhe auf ihrem Boot zu leben, und erteilt Segelunterricht für Kinder und Jugendliche.

Als gleich zwei fremde Yachten in ihrem Hafen anlegen, ist Cass' Neugier geweckt, und ziemlich bald ist sie sich mit ihrem derzeitigen Mitbewohner Anders und ihrem alten Freund Magnie einig, dass die beiden Pärchen, die mit den Booten unterwegs sind, ihnen irgendwie merkwürdig vorkommen. Bald ist von einem großangelegten Kunstdiebstahl die Rede. Während sich Cass noch fragt, ob oder wie die Neuankömmlinge damit zu tun haben, und ihren alten Bekannten Gavin Macrae von der Polizei einschaltet, gibt es auf der Insel einen tragischen Todesfall, bei dem es auch nicht mit rechten Dingen zugegangen zu sein scheint.

Cass Lynch, die mehr auf dem Wasser zu Hause ist als auf dem Festland, ist eine eher ungewöhnliche Ermittlerfigur und die Shetland-Inseln kein alltäglicher Krimischauplatz. Etwas sehr zufällig wirkt es schon, dass sie so kurz nach den letzten Ermittlungen, erneut in einen Kriminalfall hineinstolpert, aber das Problem besteht ja bei vielen Krimiserien, die sich außerhalb des herkömmlichen Polizeimilieus abspielen und ist zu vernachlässigen.

Dass Cass und ihre Freunde sofort sicher sind, dass mit den beiden Paaren auf den fremden Yachten etwas nicht stimmt, ist auch etwas weit hergeholt und lässt den Auftakt des Buches etwas konstruiert erscheinen, doch als sich tatsächlich Hinweise auf verdächtige Aktivitäten in einer kaum bewohnten Gegend der Insel verdichten, nimmt der Krimi Fahrt auf und segelt solide durch die stürmischen Gewässer der Ermittlungen, die für Cass und ihre Mitstreiter alles andere als ungefährlich sind.

Nebenbei behandelt Marsali Taylor auch Themen wie Heimat, Zugehörigkeitsgefühl und Vergangenheitsbewältigung. Dass Cass lieber Schiffsplanken als festen Boden unter den Füßen hat, wird dabei gelegentlich vielleicht ein wenig überbetont, bleibt aber doch im Rahmen des Glaubwürdigen.

Stilistisch ist auch der zweite Band ein wenig gewöhnungsbedürftig. Die Autorin wirft mit weniger nautischen Fachbegriffen um sich, beschreibt aber generell Sachverhalte häufig etwas umständlich, wobei schwerfällig wirkende Stellen womöglich auch der Übersetzung geschuldet sind, die mich nicht allzu sehr begeistert hat. (Die "Vliesjacke", die schon im ersten Band genervt hat, ist auch wieder da ...) Vielleicht wäre das Original von Band 3 mal zum Vergleich einen Versuch wert, denn nach dem etwas zähen Beginn mauserte sich das Buch zu einem soliden, spannenden Krimi, der auch - entgegen anfänglicher Befürchtungen - am Ende alle losen Fäden überzeugend verknüpft.

Gefehlt hat übrigens diesmal eine Karte der Inseln, die geholfen hätte, sich das Ganze geographisch besser vorstellen zu können.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this even more enjoyable than the first in the series. While this (and any of the series) can be read as a standalone, I'd really recommend reading in order as you get to see the way the characters develop and relationships build over time.

In this second volume, Cass is still in Shetland, preparing to start her college course, when a couple who moored their boat in the same marina fail to return from a day's walk. A series of suspicious events ending in murder mean that Gavin Macrae, the police inspector from the previous novel, returns to Shetland to investigate.

Once again, Taylor manages the perfect blend of crime, Shetland life and sailing, and I love watching the way her characters interact. In the last book, there were the vaguest possible hints that Cass and Gavin might be attracted to each other, and in this book, we see them take the first tentative steps toward a possible friendship. I find this slow-burn romance a refreshing change and so much more realistic than the kind of book where the main character goes through some horrendous experiences only to have a 'happily ever after' within days of said experiences finishing.

As a final note, I think one of the greatest challenges for an author whose characters speak strong dialect is getting the right balance between authentic speech and readability. Taylor manages this brilliantly - I always feel as if I am listening to people with real accents talking, yet I have no difficulty in following what is said, even with some of the older characters with stronger accents.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first one as it was a little more land-based (her sailing descriptions are great but I support the RNLI to spare me from traumas like hers). The first one was also a touch too edgy for happy reading - her main character had so many chips on her shoulders she was as prickly as a hedgehog, but there was plenty in it to make me want to read this one, and I'm glad I did. I love the crofting kilted Detective Inspector, and the characters of Rat and Cat. Started the next one within fifteen minutes of finishing this one, which is a good sign!

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a 3.5 than a 4 but alas Goodreads doesn't allow for 0.5 scores!
I found the book engaging although it took nearly half the book for the first murder to happen and events in it later on didn't always feel realistic.